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5.a.Hungarian citizenship I. General information Before going into details, you should take into consideration the following principles:
According to the present regulation in force - Act LV of 1993 - Hungarian citizenship can originate under two principles: the most significant one being the principle of origin : the child of every Hungarian citizen becomes a Hungarian citizen by birth (whether the mother or the father is a [or both are] Hungarian citizen [s]). Prior to this date, rules for acquisition and loss of Hungarian citizenship may have been different. As a short - and by no means exhaustive - resumé concerning Hungarian citizenship, before applying, please consider the following:
if one of the parents was a Hungarian citizen at the moment of birth, the child became Hungarian citizen.
Ø a child became a Hungarian citizen only if his legitimate father was a Hungarian citizen. The child of a Hungarian mother and a non-Hungarian father didn’t become Hungarian citizen by birth. Ø If the child was born out of wedlock (extramarital birth) and the mother had Hungarian citizenship, the child became Hungarian citizen. But if later on the child was recognized by a non-Hungarian father, he/she could have lost her/his citizenship. Ø The non-Hungarian wife of a Hungarian citizen husband became automatically Hungarian citizen after the marriage. Ø If a Hungarian citizen wife acquired by marriage the citizenship of her non-Hungarian husband, then she automatically lost her Hungarian citizenship. Ø Those, who left Hungary before September 1st, 1929 could loose their citizenship by living continuously abroad for a period exceeding 10 years. This 10 year period began after the expiry date in the person's last Hungarian passport. Therefore, in this case, a Hungarian official document (e.g. a passport, a written declaration made in a Hungarian Consulate, etc.) must be produced which would prove that the person kept his/her citizenship. Ø Effects of the Trianon treaty: in general those living outside of the present Hungarian borders lost their Hungarian citizenship and became citizens of the country which received the given territory (with some minor exceptions) after 1921. Ø From those who left Hungary before February 1st, 1949, a Hungarian document (any Hungarian identity document, school certificate, work certificate, diploma, etc.) proving that they lived in Hungary after September 1st, 1929 - especially for those who left in the 1930s, early 1940s - is required. Ø In some cases, the Acts of 1879 and 1939 entitled the Hungarian State to deprive Hungarians from their citizenship. (for further details in Hungarian, please go: here) As you may see, the assessment of the citizenship of a person might be a very complicated task, due to the historical changes of borders and citizenships in Central Europe during the 20th century. It is exclusively done by experts of the Nationality Verification Division of the Office of Immigration and Nationality in Budapest. It could last 6-9 months. II. Procedure The assessment is made by completing the form "Állampolgárság igazolása iránti kérelem" in Hungarian (the form is only available in Hungarian).
e.g.: if
you think your grandfather might have been a Hungarian citizen,
then you need to attach:
When in possession of these documents you have to go in person or send them to the diplomatic or consular representation whose area of responsibility includes the State you live in (see the consular districts of Hungarian missions in the U.S) and pay the process fee (call before sending the documents). If you send in the documents, you have to certify a.) your signature on the application form and b.) your identity before a notary public using this form and this data sheet if the notary public is not on this list, or by one of the Hungarian Honorary Consuls. ____________________________________________________________________ When the Hungarian citizenship is determined, a Hungarian Citizenship Certificate is issued which is valid for one year from its issuance date. ____________________________________________________________________ When the Hungarian citizenship is determined, the foreign certificates (birth, marriage, divorce) must be registered in Hungary by completing the forms to be downloaded from our website:
6. Registration of vital statistics (in Hungarian) (Please check with the competent representation if the demands for registration can be handed in jointly, for an additional fee of 24 USD.) The original certificates will be kept in the archives in Hungary and a Hungarian certificate will be issued instead. So, if you don't want to send the original documents, you can order certified copies at the vital records office where the event was registered or pay an additional 32 USD fee (per document) in order for us to prepare a certified copy (copies certified by a notary public cannot be accepted). In possession of the Hungarian Citizenship Certificate (within its 1 year validity period), and birth certificate (and if the case, marriage certificate), a demand for a Hungarian passport can be initiated in person in Budapest, at the Central Passport Office.
If you don't plan to go to Hungary before the expiry date of the Hungarian citizenship certificate, you may ask the competent Hungarian representation for a one year validity temporary passport (please ask for an appointment).
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III. Fees
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